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Come on a journey of inspiration & adventure while renovate & restore a beautiful Victorian home 'St Elmo' in the picturesque Hunter Valley, Australia & laugh at a few of our family adventures along the way.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Well it would appear we finally have some action on the dream home front, AT LAST!!!!

We have a preliminary plan that we can use to make all our materials selections whilst the actual working plan is being finalised by the architect.

So next week, appointments will be made for the dream guy & myself to sit down with a kitchen company, tile showroom etc to make all the difficult decisions about how this dream home will look... I have to admit I am now officially TERRIFIED!!!!!

EEEEKKKK!!!

But I'm also excited that things are finally moving in the right direction, OMG, how will I ever sleep again...

I have this exact same clock & my stair case will be a similar lay out, so I now know how fantastic it will look!!!

Any tips or suggestions on how to deal with this process would be greatly appreciated, we have renovated many times, but this is our first ever new build & because, we have designed it ourselves, we can't even get a feel for it by walking thru a display home....

Monday, July 26, 2010

I would like to think the worst of it is behind us, not that we experience anything to cold here in the Hunter Valley, but it has still been chilly. Especially in the evening.

I love the WOW factor a fireplace can add to a home. Not only do they create a warm & cosy atmosphere in the winter time, they also make a beautiful feature in any room, year round!!!

If you had a library in your home wouldn't it be lovely to curl up with a good book & a glass of wine in front of the fire....

This stone feature is beautiful, rustic but classic all at the same time...

How about a long hot soak in the tub with the fire to keep the bathroom lovely & toasty, I think if you have a bathroom that looks this incredible, you just know you've made it... This, to me is just the ultimate luxury!

How romantic to have a gorgeous fireplace in the master bedroom...

Some fabulous dinner parties & wonderful conversation could certainly be had in this dining room...

I'm not sure what room this fireplace is in but it is very pretty & feminine, Don't you think?

This patio fireplace would certainly extend your outdoor entertaining well into the cooler months...

This ultra modern glass fire is incredible...

It goes to show there is a place in every home to put a fire place & a style to match.

We are looking at installing a fireplace in our dream home, most likely a gas fueled fire or possibly electric as we will be using bottled gas. I like a nice traditional style, with a lovely mantle that I can dress up.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Thanks to the fabulous Briohny over at French doors and verandahs making the logical suggestion ,that I should measure the chairs to see if they would actually be able to be pushed in at the table,

or they may take up a lot of extra space in the room. I took this advice & discovered they are to tall.

What a bummer!!!!!!

My inspiration picture....

So this beautiful image will just have to live in my inspiration file to tease me each time I see it!!

Oh well my dream guy has been saved from some serious nagging!!!

Thank you for all of the wonderful advice you all gave me, it looks like wicker is a wonderful hard wearing, can't kill it , even if you tried kind of chair, unless of course you treat them to to much sun!!!

They also have another similar chair with a more open style weave called a "Löve" chair & its in a darker, richer brown, but I couldn't find a picture of it!

Then I purchased my all time favourite mag "Home Beautiful", & there it was...the perfect inspiration pic!!!

For me this house just says it all, they have the same colour scheme I have chosen for my dream house, inside & out, the same style of kitchen I am opting to have installed. You just have to adore Shaker style cabinets & subway tiles in a kitchen ,& there they are, those lovely chairs flanking the family dinner table.

Perhaps its destiny!!!!

I am having tile floors rather than timber, thanks to the evil budget, but I'm sure tiles will look fantastic.

Now I will apologize for the quality of my photography, but this is my current table,it seats eight & I think it would be nice with 3 Alexander chairs each side.The table is about 6yrs old & in great shape, I really love it, so, wont be replacing it anytime soon.

Every where you go timber furniture has a different name for the stain, but I guess it is close to a maple stain...

I have wanted to change out these chairs for a while, but never knew what style I was looking for. There is also the budget factor, how do you convince your dream guy that you would like to replace these perfectly good, "matching chairs", with something new, he would much rather buy a boat.... & don't forget the kid factor, they do drop food on these chairs everyday!

Does anyone have chairs like this at the family dinner table & do they stand up to the wear & tear of children?

I guess the most important question is...

Would they look okay with my table?

Please , my stylish friends, what do you think, should I add these babies to my ever growing wish list, I would of course throw in a few matching baskets to link the style of the chairs to the rest of the room...

Friday, July 16, 2010

I have decided to begin a second blog...Crazy I know, blogging has become a time consuming obsession for me, but I have a personal challenge to meet & I know there are lots of fellow bloggers with weight loss & fitness goals they would like to achieve, but just don't know where to begin!

If you would like to learn a little about fitness & nutrition then pop by for a look.

If you want to join me on my journey please do its all FREE!!

Every Tuesday I will be posting my results & you are welcome to do the same...its all about having someone to make you accountable for reaching your goals!

I will help you work out your healthy body weight & make the right changes for a healthy lifestyle!

Its not a DIET, its a healthy LIFESTYLE!

Please drop on by & add any suggestions on how I can make this a fantastic & motivational blog. Leave some questions in the comments & I will use them to create posts about the things you would like to know!!!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Now I am not one to get a lot of pleasure from cooking up a storm, so, unfortunately for my dream guy, his birthday cake was lovingly made at "Woolworth's Supermarket". It was a Delicious white chocolate mud cake & even though he did enjoy it, I'm sure he would have loved a scrumptious creation from Katena's kitchen at Taylor made baking

We grew up in the same home town as Katena & know her well, so its fantastic to see her baking achievements on her blog, you should drop by & see her work, you'll want to hire her for your next party, I do!!!

I did how ever impress the big guy with this tasty little appetiser that I got from Alicia over at A Beautiful Mess

You need to drop by & get her recipe for this lovely Avocado salsa style dish, its easy to make(right up my ally) & YUUUUUMMMMMYYYY!!!!

She hosts a Tasty Tuesdays Blog hop, which is extremely popular. You are likely to find many delicious dishes!!!

I then went on to order a pile of pizza's to be home delivered , what a wife hey!
I do buy him his favourite beverage, BEER, to wash down all of these convenience foods....
So happy birthday Dream guy!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I really love all the images I'm seeing of the humble, world globe being used as a decorator piece. I would normally envision a globes placement to be on a book shelf or a desk in a study, but, since I began looking at images in blogs, I have discovered them to be used for so many decorating applications & I love it!

I never realized that you could get so many styles, sizes & colours.

We have always owned the typical blue globe that you see in a classroom at your local school & we have had a lot of fun over the years, giving it a spin in search of another country.

Image via Apartment Therapy

A globe adds an artistic addition to any display.A pop of yellow really looks awesome in this otherwise cool blue & white display.

Image via Beach Brights

Do you think everyone that sits on this couch has to give at least one of these globes a spin.

What a fabulous mix of old & new.

I love this look!!!

Image via Design Shrine

The blue & red add great pops of colour in this retro style decor, with a couple of globes in the corner adding a little extra character.

Source Unknown

This is one of my most favourite images, I just love the simplicity of the neutral colour scheme with the traditional style decor.

Image via Dsharp

This rather extensive collection looks as though it has evolved over time

Source Unknown

I love how the globes here are mimicked by the light fittings.

Kit Pollard via Aidlin Darling Designs

A fabulous choice for a room divider

Only globes

A very modern display, there is a globe available for any style

Teamed with this worn style leather chair & Ottoman, this display lends a masculine feel to the room

This nice big silver globe is very beautiful & I imagine it would be rather expensive, but it would certainly be a lovely feature in any space.

I would love a collection of small paper globes like these to display in a nice bowl on the coffee table, I think they would be a great conversation starter.

Do you have a globe or two at your house & did you think outside the square to display it, or, pop it in the study?

I have noticed in many of the display homes I have toured of late, that globes are definitely a decorating trend with designers at the moment & its one that I am personally enjoying.

I think it gives the home a feeling, that the occupants are perhaps well travelled, so I think I need to jump on this band wagon...apart from a 3 day weekend in New Zealand I haven't travelled at all, but hey,

"Fake it, til, ya make it!!!"

cause I can't see me going anywhere, any time soon!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Some of these images have been in my inspiration file long before I began blogging so I don't always no the source, please email me if you can help me correct this & give the appropriate credit.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

I am looking for the perfect images of pergolas & outdoor living areas to show to my builder, architect & my dream guy, to ensure they have the same image of the end result of this dream house. My dream guy has given me complete creative freedom on pretty much every aspect of this house design, but I know he would have a picture in his mind of how it is going to look & I am guessing it is a little different to my vision.

This image is very similar to the colour scheme of my dream house. The beams of this pergola are the same colour as my roof & the main colours of the house & white windows are also the choices I have made. I would prefer my pergola to be white as well, this home appears to have a terracotta tile roof which is really lovely.

We haven't decided wether or not to render the downstairs area of our house or keep it brick for a bit more interest & contrast.Our builder has recomended staying brick on the bottom as it stands up to the wear & tear of living more so than render. The top story will be built from a thick compressed foam material & then rendered as this has better thermal properties & is a cost effective building method. If it was to be brick I think I would like something similiar to this, what do you think ?

Please feel free to offer any advice or suggestions on my choice of finishes, especially in regard to the choice of brick or render on the lower story. We are looking for a low maintenance home, which is why we have chosen pavers & tiles over timber decking. My dream guy works a lot & I would like his time at home to be about relaxation & family, rather than constant home maintenance!

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Let me share with you the craziness of my life, the ups & downs of renovating a 108 year old Victorian Home, my interior design & styling obsession, my attempts at being a photographer ,a fitness wanna be & the family adventures in between.

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If I have used your image & not given you the credit deserved PLEASE let me know, I will either remove it or link it to you.I have been collecting images that inspire me for a lot longer than I have been blogging.